Infernal Source Dig Site

This article is about the dig site. For the music track, see The Infernal Source.

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Infernal Source Dig Site
Release		30 March 2020 (Update)
Members		Yes
Location		Varrock
Music		Disorder
Map

The Infernal Source Dig Site is a dig site just west of the Jolly Boar Inn (outside the northern gates of Varrock) that players can first access at level 20 Archaeology, upon receiving an invitation from Movario - a Zamorakian scholar.

Throughout the various excavation sites the player learns of the Order of Dis, a secretive Zamorakian demon cult that operated at the turn of and throughout the Third Age, and is eventually led to the discovery of the Source - the location where demons were once summoned to Gielinor. Excavation at the Infernal Source also provides materials for Ancient Summoning, which enables players to summon demons of their own.

Dig site info

Infernal Source Dig Site
Manager	Movario
Requirements	20 Archaeology

History

Gateway to Infernus

Early in the Second Age, when Zaros first walked on Gielinor, he determined that he would need an army in order to stand against the rest of the young gods. He returned to Infernus, where he tricked Hostilius into granting him an army consisting of twelve legions of demons. However, Zaros determined that transporting them back to Gielinor would prove too taxing a task even for him; instead, he transported only Duke Nemesis of the First Legion and over a hundred Avernic demons in order to battle the hydra god Loarnab. While at first it sported only two heads, Zaros had his demons fight Loarnab until it grew a total of twelve heads, upon which he ensnared the beast and turned its body into a portal to Infernus fueled by its own divine power. For every one of the twelve legions that crossed the portal, one of its heads turned to stone. When all the legions had crossed over to Gielinor, Loarnab's body had turned into a stone statue, which would remain as a monument outside what would become Senntisten.

The Order of Dis

At the height of the Zarosian Empire, Zamorak plotted to usurp Zaros by gathering like-minded allies to revolt in open rebellion. He appealed to the Avernic demons, offering to liberate them from their Chthonian masters in exchange for their allegiance. Thus, immediately following the defeat of Zaros at the end of the Second Age, the Tsutsaroth demons who assisted him during the fight gathered around a collapsed Zamorak and, led by Thammaron, opened a portal to Infernus in order to have him deliver on his end of their bargain. Saradomin and the rest of the gods were swift in exploiting the ensuing power vacuum and began launching their own invasions upon the empire.

While most of the Zamorakians were driven out of Senntisten or hunted down by Zarosian loyalists, some of them found ways to serve Zamorak while hiding in plain sight. One such person was Duchess Philippa Wharton, who feigned loyalty to Saradomin while in truth she led a Zamorakian cult known as the Order of Dis. Their goal was to assist Zamorak by paving the way for his eventual return to Gielinor; in order to accomplish this, Wharton founded the Star Lodge, its very name a way to mock Saradomin, and built a secret dungeon beneath the Lodge where the cult could operate unseen.

Their biggest and most important undertaking was the dismantling of the Hydra Gate (that is, Loarnab's corpse), which they would then carefully smuggle beneath the Star Lodge piece by piece, before teleporting the pieces through a ritual circle to an area deep beneath Forinthry that would come to be known as the Infernal Source. Once the pieces reached their final destination, the Order would reconstruct the Hydra Gate so that it may be useable once more.

At some point, Wharton was able to trick the Infernal demon Dagon into forming a contract with her. His duty would be to protect the Source from would-be intruders until it "fell into enemy hands"; until such a time came, Dagon was physically unable to leave the Source, much to his own chagrin. Meanwhile, the Order would continue to surreptitiously recruit more followers by encouraging visitors during the day. Those that refused were offered as sacrifices to Dagon, which he despised.

After a few years, the Order was able to restore the Hydra Gate, allowing demons to travel to Gielinor from Infernus once more. Some of the new arrivals would deliver news of Zamorak's campaign on Infernus, assuring the Order that Zamorak would be returning to Gielinor soon. Zamorak would indeed return from Infernus 19 years after the fall of Zaros, after which he would claim the empire's former territory as his own and declare war upon the other gods, ending the Second Age and beginning the God Wars.

With the return of Zamorak, Wharton deemed that the Star Lodge had fulfilled its purpose. Nevertheless, the Order of Dis would continue to maintain it over the centuries due to the significance it played. However, because many other entrances to the Source were opened over time, along with a steady supply of "volunteers" to join Zamorak, the Order began to diminish throughout the war, until eventually only a human and a demon were all that was left. Because the Lodge saw less and less visitors, it was no longer maintained properly, becoming unsafe for habitation. Furthermore, activity at the Source diminished over time and became more sporadic, giving people even less reasons to visit the Lodge or join the Order.

Ultimately, at the climax of the God Wars, a cornered Zamorak used the Stone of Jas to incinerate the entirety of Forinthry in a desperate attempt to defeat his enemies. The fallout from the explosion caused the Lodge to be buried in debris; this, coupled with the subsequent awakening of Guthix, the establishment of the Edicts of Guthix and the banishment of the gods from Gielinor would cause the Star Lodge and the Infernal Source to remain forgotten for thousands of years.

Rediscovery

The Infernal Source would be rediscovered during the Sixth Age, two thousand years after the end of the God Wars, when the newly-founded Archaeology Guild started a dig to investigate the Star Lodge, with a Zamorakian scholar named Movario as the site manager. The World Guardian, with the assistance of Movario, would uncover the Star Lodge and the entrance to the Dungeon of Disorder, where they would later restore the ritual circle leading to the Source. In there, they would also meet Dagon the Gatekeeper, who, having guessed that the Order was by now defunct, convinced them to release him by freeing him from the Hydra Gate (thus being considered as having "fallen into enemy hands", as per the terms of his contract). In gratitude, Dagon taught the World Guardian how to bind demons to do their bidding, as payment for services rendered.

Invasion

After the Elder God Wars, the armies of most of the participating gods were left crippled from the massive casualties and at a fraction of their strength. The only god whose army was left relatively unscathed was Zamorak, who withdrew his support from the alliance shortly before the end of the conflict in protest of Seren's refusal to bring the fight to a decisive end by destroying the eggs of the Elder Gods. In the aftermath of the war, Zamorak seized the opportunity to gather his demonic armies from Infernus and bring them to Gielinor through the Infernal Source, having absorbed the power of the Eye of Het before his withdrawal. Though he could bring his demons to Gielinor using his own power, the Infernal Source provided a more convenient means to summon them.

Once he entrenched himself in the Wilderness Crater and the resurrected Order of Dis secured the Dungeon of Disorder, Zamorak proceeded to launch his invasion of Gielinor: thousands of demons poured through the Infernal Source and began attacking settlements across the continent, decimating what forces stood against them. Saradomin was forced to forge an alliance with Armadyl, Azzanadra and Icthlarin in order to stand against Zamorak, but even then the odds were stacked against them. Eventually, the World Guardian was able to come up with a plan to re-establish the Edicts of Guthix, a plan that necessitated access to the Wilderness Crater since it was the place where Guthix originally cast the Edicts at the end of the Third Age. The only flaw in the plan was that all the gods would be banished from Gielinor without exception and that the World Guardian would lose their powers after the spell was cast, but both the gods and the World Guardian saw this as an acceptable sacrifice if it meant stopping Zamorak's invasion. Having reached consensus, the gods began to look for a way to breach the shield surrounding the crater while they fought to hold the demons at bay.

Getting there

There are a variety of ways to travel to the entrance of the Infernal Source dig site.

• Archaeology teleport, purchased for 250 chronotes from Ezreal at the Archaeology Guild Shop
• Archaeology journal, teleport to the Archaeology Campus then running west and use the dig sites map table to teleport to it directly
• Archaeology journal, teleport to the Archaeology Campus then running north-west
• Master Archaeologist's Outfit, teleport to the Infernal Source Dig Site
• Fort Forinthry Teleport, obtained from all levels of Treasure Trails clues
• Wicked hood, teleport to the earth altar, or by using an Earth altar teleport
• Balloon transport system to Varrock near the Jolly Boar Inn, then running west
• Invitation box, teleport to the Empyrean Citadel, then again to Silvarea, then running west

Overview

The player may speak to Movario for an introductory cutscene of Guildmaster Tony's observations. The surface also provides access to a bank chest and material storage container as well as an archaeologist's workbench. Upon descent, the Infernal Source dig site consists of three areas:

1. The Star Lodge cellar
2. The Dungeon of Disorder
3. The Source

Star Lodge cellar

Main article: Star Lodge cellar

The Star Lodge was a former inn and front for the ancient Zamorakian demon cult, the Order of Dis, at the turn of and during the Third Age. The ruins of its cellar are first accessible to the player with level 20 Archaeology and is the first of several excavation sites that ultimately lead to the Source.

The Star Lodge cellar's restored fireplace and art storage excavation sites.

The Star Lodge's cellar contains two cadmium red material cache and two excavation hotspots (lodge bar storage and lodge art storage), requiring level 20 and 24 Archaeology, respectively. These sites yield various materials and damaged artefacts used in the Archaeology skill, including opulent wine goblets, hookah pipes, paintings, and crests of Dagon. There are also six chests containing various items, including crests of Dagon, one damaged, and another intact - as well as some of the materials needed to repair them.

The Star Lodge cellar features one mystery, the Eyes in Their Stars, wherein the player learns the true history of the lodge and gains access to the Dungeon of Disorder underneath. The player may begin this mystery by interacting with the gutted fireplace at the northern end of the cellar.

The Star Lodge also features an opportunity for special research, Starry Eyed. The player may enable this particular research assignment by studying the Star Lodge sign in the north-western corner of the cellar.

Dungeon of Disorder

Main article: Dungeon of Disorder

The altar where victims kidnapped by the Order of Dis were sacrificed.

The Dungeon of Disorder (also known as the Dis dungeon) was the base of operations for the Order of Dis. The dungeon's ruins lie under the Star Lodge cellar, and are accessible to the player with level 24 Archaeology, after completion of the mystery, Eyes in Their Stars. The Dungeon of Disorder ultimately leads to the Source.

The Dungeon of Disorder features four primary areas for investigation: the sacrificial altar, the dungeon, the cultist footlocker, and the ritual circle.

The sacrificial altar

The first area features a sacrificial altar where uncooperative kidnap victims were sacrificed. The altar offers a hand of glory and three sacrificial altar hotspots that may be excavated with level 36 Archaeology to obtain various materials and artefacts, including ritual daggers, and Order of Dis robes. The altar also has a materials cart to store excavated materials. The player may also gain access to the special research, The Dark Underbelly, by studying the sacrificial altar.

Dungeon / torture chamber

The dungeon, or torture chamber, where kidnap victims were kept, features three Dis dungeon debris hotspots, which may be excavated with level 45 Archaeology to obtain additional materials and artefacts, such as branding irons and manacles.

Cultist footlocker

The cultists' living quarters contain six cultist footlocker hotspots, which may be excavated with level 29 Archaeology to obtain artefacts that include imp masks, lesser demon masks, and greater demon masks. In addition to the hotspots, the living quarters also contain two Eye of Dagon material caches and the tunnel just outside features a materials cart to store excavated materials.

Ritual circle

The ritual circle is the last area and is found at the end of the tunnels in the Dungeon of Disorder, marking where the Order of Dis once met to open the portal to the Source. The ritual circle does not feature any excavation hotspots, but two hellfire metal material caches. The ritual circle is also the central focus of the mystery, Embrace the Chaos, where the player restores the ritual circle and reopens the portal to the Source. The player may solve this mystery by first collecting all four of the cultist's diary pages, which reveals the incantation required to open the portal.

The Source

The Infernal Source, with Dagon the gatekeeper visible at the bottom.

Players must navigate through the portals within the Infernal Source. However the portals are not 100% reliable unless players add a restored Chaos star to their toolbelt.

The Source lies directly underneath the Wilderness Crater, although the location itself is safe.

To access The Source the Embrace the Chaos mystery must be completed.

There are four levels in the Source, scattered in a ring layout. Players can traverse around a ring by utilising chaos portals (white), which take them in line, but can misfire. There are also portals leading to several gargoyles scattered across the three levels, required for the Contract Claws mystery.

Dagon portals (red) can be used to move up or down a level.

There are many Archaeology excavation hotspots and materials caches. The lower levels contain higher-levelled Archaeology excavation hotspots.

The portals, with the exception of the Dagon portal leading to the bottom level, have a chance to misfire. The chance can be lowered by freeing the imp Mephisto, with a 1/100 rate of failure when he is freed a seventh time completing the Die! Die! Die! achievement. Adding a restored chaos star artefact to your toolbelt will prevent the portal from misfiring 100% of the time. Misfired portals will take players to another portal at the same level, although not in the correct order. Mephisto is found while wandering around the rings, and also back in the previous portal chamber.

Red Dagon portals on the inner edge of the rings transport down a level, and on the outer edge transport up.

Vestibule of Futility

The outer ring which contains three excavation sites:

• North-east - six spots of shakroth remains and two hellfire metal material caches
• South - eight spots of infernal art and a chaotic brimstone material cache
• South-east - three spots of animal trophies

Chaos portals can be entered to traverse between the different sections of the ring, and Dagon portals to enter the next ring, The Harrowing. Using the portals is very unreliable before Mephisto has been freed.

There is a materials cart in the south, and some archaeologists may also be found in the area.

The portal chamber in the middle can be used to return to Dungeon of Disorder or studied to start the Abandon All Hope research.

The Harrowing

The middle ring, The Harrowing, contains three excavation sites:

• North-east - three hellfire forges and three demonhide material caches
• North-west - eight spots of byzroth remains and three demonhide material caches
• South-east - four spots of Dis overspill

There is a materials cart in the eastern section of the ring, and archaeologists may be found in the area.

The hellhound marker in the south-west acts as the starting point of the Deeper and Down research.

The white chaos portals can be entered to traverse between the different sections of the ring, while the red Dagon portals can be entered to move up to Vestibule of Futility, or down to Dagon Overlook. Using the portals is very unreliable before Mephisto has been freed.

Dagon Overlook

The inner ring, Dagon Overlook, contains two excavation sites:

• North - five spots of chthonian trophies and a hellfire metal material cache
• South-west - four spots of tsutsaroth remains and two cadmium red material caches

The white chaos portals can be entered to traverse between the different sections of the ring, while the red Dagon portal can be entered to move up to The Harrowing. Using the portals is very unreliable before Mephisto has been freed.

A trapped demon can be studied in the eastern part to start Who Dis? research.

Hydra portal

The bottom level cannot be accessed until the player obtains a chaos star, which can be obtained by completing the Who Dis? research or alternatively by excavating Shakroth remains which both require level 68 Archaeology. This level contains the demon Dagon the Gatekeeper as well as the petrified remains of the hydra god Loarnab.

Talking to Dagon the Gatekeeper starts the Dagon Bye mystery, and studying the hydra gate in the centre of the area unlocks the Hell Mouths research contract.

Material caches

Level	Material cache	XP	Material	Faction	Members
24	Material cache (cadmium red)	24.2	Cadmium red	Zamorakian
29	Material cache (chaotic brimstone)	24.2	Chaotic brimstone	Zamorakian
29	Material cache (demonhide)	24.2	Demonhide	Zamorakian
36	Material cache (Eye of Dagon)	30.2	Eye of Dagon	Zamorakian
36	Material cache (hellfire metal)	30.2	Hellfire metal	Zamorakian

Mysteries

Name	Requirements	Rewards
Eyes in Their Stars	24 Archaeology	1,300 experience Access to the Dungeon of Disorder
Embrace the Chaos	29 Archaeology Eyes in Their Stars	1,400 experience Access to the Source (Vestibule of Futility)
Contract Claws	29 Archaeology 49 Farming (optional) 35 Prayer Land of the Goblins (partial) Embrace the Chaos Ironmen: Bringing Home the Bacon 49 Farming	1,400 experience
Dagon Bye	68 Archaeology [B] Contract Claws Embrace the Chaos Qualification - Assistant	8,400 experience Pact with Dagon

Achievements

Main article: Zamorakian achievements

There are 16 achievements in this group.

#	Name	Members	Description
5	Contract Claws	Yes	Solve this mystery.	5
6	Dagon Bye	Yes	Solve this mystery.	10
16	Dark Reading Material	Yes	Collect the following 'lore' books from the Infernal Source.	5
9	Demonic Ingenuity	Yes	Test the structural integrity of the gargoyle at the Infernal Source.	25
10	Die! Die! Die!	Yes	Harness the power of the infernal d% die.	25
4	Embrace the Chaos	Yes	Solve this mystery.	5
3	Eyes in Their Stars	Yes	Solve this mystery.	5
11	I Made Dis	Yes	Use a ritual dagger on the sacrificial altar in the Order of Dis cult area while wearing a full set of Dagon'hai robes.	25
8	Looting Stars	Yes	Loot all of the abandoned chests in the Star Lodge.	10
1	Mastery - Infernal Source	Yes	Complete all of the listed achievements.	0
2	Mysteries - Infernal Source	Yes	Complete all of the listed achievements.	0
7	Research - Infernal Source	Yes	Complete all of the listed research.	0
12	Superhot	Yes	Excavate in the Infernal Source while having the Superheat Form curse active.	25
14	Who's a Bad Boy?	Yes	Adorn a hellhound with some fabulously retro infernal fashion.	25
13	Whoa, Double Chaos	Yes	Use one of the chaos portals while wearing a full set of chaos equipment	10
15	Zamorakian Expert	Yes	Restored a collection of Zamorakian artefacts.	0

Research

Main article: Research § Zamorakian culture research

Music unlocked

• The Star Lodge
• Disorder
• The Infernal Source

Transcript

This article has an associated transcript page. Click here for the transcript.

Gallery

In-Game

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Concept Art

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  The end cutscene to the Infernal Source, showing Dagon the Gatekeeper.

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3D Models

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Development

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Update history

This information has been compiled as part of the update history project. Some updates may not be included—see here for how to help out!

• ninja 17 January 2022 (Update):
  • Added mini Summoning obelisks to all main Archaeology dig sites, including the Archaeology Campus.

• patch 8 June 2020 (Update):
  • Items will no longer float when dropped on top of portals in the Infernal Source.

• patch 18 May 2020 (Update):
  • Some quick-travel options have been added to the entrances of the Infernal Source and Everlight dig sites.

• patch 4 May 2020 (Update):
  • Fixed minor clipping issues in the Infernal Source.
  • Fixed an issue where certain islands in the Infernal Source were being removed if you had the Remove Roofs setting set to selective.
  • Flowing lava in the Infernal Source will no longer disappear when you stand close to it.
  • Fixed an issue at the Infernal Source where a lava faucet was not being removed when the camera was moved inside it.
  • Fixed some instances of material caches clipping into the floor at Kharid-et and the Infernal Source.

• patch 27 April 2020 (Update):
  • A landmass inside Infernal Source has been adjusted to only disappear when the camera is moved into it.
  • Some clipping with excavation spots has been fixed in the Star Lodge cellar.

• hotfix 6 April 2020 (Update):
  • Chests in the Infernal Source cellar can no longer be looted with a full inventory.

• update 30 March 2020 (Update):
  • Added to game.

Trivia

• The Infernal Source presents numerous references to Dante's Inferno.
  • The Order of Dis is a reference to The City of Dis, encompassing the sixth to ninth circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno, with Dis Pater being the ruler of the underworld.
  • The excavation hotspot Animal Trophies is a reference to the first Canto, in which Dante is accosted by a she-wolf, a leopard, and a lion - the three trophies you can excavate here correspond to these animals, with the larupia standing in for the leopard.
  • The excavation hotspot Shakroth Remains features remnants of a hellhound, a member of the Shakroth demons. This is a reference to the appearance of Cerberus in the sixth Canto, to punish gluttonous people.
  • The Vestibule of Futility is a reference to the Vestibule of the Futile, in the third Canto.
  • The Harrowing is a reference to the Harrowing of Hell, in the fourth Canto.
  • The 'Lake of Fire' painting is a reference to the Phlegethon, one of the five rivers of the underworld; this one is described as a stream of fire. Dante writes of this in the twelfth Canto. At the same excavation hotspot, the 'Lust' metal sculpture is a reference to events in the fifth Canto.
  • The Malebranche are a reference to the Malebranche, twelve demon tormentors that appear in the twenty-first Canto. The names of the gargoyles are identical to the twelve demons that appear in Dante's Inferno.
• The player L33 was the first player to find all studies and send out all the special researches at the Infernal Source, prompting the following global broadcast: News: L33 is the first to master the Infernal Source Dig Site by fully exploring the site's history!
• While the site is members only, the Archaeologist's workbench, Material storage container, and Bank chest are usable by free players. It provides a close bank to the Earth altar.